On 6/14/2011 10:12 AM, James Silverton wrote:

> For several mornings I have woken up to thumping noises at about 6:30
> AM. By the time I got really awake and found a bathrobe to look outside,
> the noises had stopped. This morning, I happened to look up and saw a
> mocking bird flying at speed up against the clerestory windows of my
> bedroom. He did this about 20 times before stopping.
>
> I guess at that time in the morning the light is such that the windows
> act as mirrors. The bird is probably trying to drive off a rival but it
> takes him 20 or more thumps to get the point or perhaps knock himself
> even stupider.....BIRD BRAIN!
>
Earlier this spring I kept hearing a loud pounding in the early morning
that would startle me so bad I'd nearly shoot out of bed and through the
ceiling. It sounded like someone hammering on my roof, but not quite.
It was louder. Finally one morning I was able to get outside in time to
see what it was. It was a woodpecker but it wasn't pecking on the roof
or the siding; it was pecking on the metal gutter. I figured it was
trying to attract a mate. Finally it stopped and hasn't returned.